


Deeply Suspicious

by HyperKid



Series: Tiefling Fuckery [6]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Fluff, Humour, Multi, Other, blep, tiefling fuckery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:00:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23138089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HyperKid/pseuds/HyperKid
Summary: Caleb’s not really sure if it’s a tiefling thing or if they’re intentionally fucking with him... but does it matter when they’re so damn cute?
Relationships: Background PolyNein
Series: Tiefling Fuckery [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1343806
Comments: 27
Kudos: 213





	Deeply Suspicious

**Author's Note:**

> HK: You know how I didn’t post anything for a while? I was working on a bunch of stuff at once.  
> Mollymauk: So business as usual then?  
> HK: Preeeeetty much. I’m lowkey wondering if we’ve come far enough in the year and cleared enough backlog that we’ll slow back down for a bit.  
> Mollymauk: Just go into quarantine for a couple weeks.  
> HK: I already work from hoooooome >.> but everyone else, don’t forget to wash your hands a lot while you’re out and about. And moisturise if you have hand sanitiser!  
> Mollymauk: Yeah. Moisturise. *pointed looks at writerhands*  
> HK: .... Look do what I say not what I do?  
> Mollymauk: And don’t forget to support your artists, everyone! @komunhorangi’s store is up and full of all the usual con exclusives.  
> HK: Get on twitter for #ECCCOnline and give everyone some love, cons closing down hurts artists the worst. 
> 
> WARNINGS!! Motherfucking tieflings on this motherfucking cart! 
> 
> Disclaimer: Still own nothing and no one and that’s okay!

Caleb couldn’t say for sure exactly how many of the Mighty Nein had noticed his latest tiefling experiment. Directly asking either a question about tiefling nature or behaviour was definitely out, since neither had ever been able to resist some fuckery. 

But he had noticed something a little... odd. 

Mostly by coincidence, really. He just happened to be looking in Jester’s direction while she was playing with Frumpkin. And just for fun, he had his familiar do a blep. 

And Jester immediately blepped back. 

Which, in all honesty, really could have just been her playing. She’d do it first occasionally, trying to prompt Frumpkin to blep back to her. 

But it was cute, so he decided to keep doing it. 

If he noticed Jester playing with Frumpkin, he’d send the cat a quick request to blep. Jester returned it every single time, delighted to play. 

It was almost second nature by the time he noticed Molly playing with his familiar. Frumpkin dropped a blep almost before being asked, and Molly blepped back. No hesitation, no pause. 

Blep. 

Honestly, most of the Nein would if they were playing with the cat. Caleb certainly wasn’t immune. 

So he kept doing it, just kind of for fun. 

Just his own little joke on the road. If he caught someone watching Frumpkin while they travelled, they’d receive a blep. 

Which was how he began to realise that the tieflings didn’t always know they were doing it back. 

** 

He began to wonder one day on the road, while he was taking a turn to ride. Frumpkin was draped around his shoulders as a scarf, and Molly was happily chatting him up from the cart. 

Jester was riding alongside him on the other side, spending so much time cooing at Frumpkin that it was probably for the best that the horses were well used to travel. His attention barely on her, Caleb had Frumpkin do a blep to keep her happy. 

And a few moments later, Molly blepped too. 

It fell into a natural pause in his flow, just at the end of his story as he grinned and enjoyed their responses. Nothing noteworthy about it, except... 

Caleb found himself distracted in his (vain, blushing) attempt to reply. For just a moment he glanced around. 

As expected, Jester had blepped Frumpkin and was just returning to watching the road. 

By the time he glanced back, Molly had stopped too, and was just grinning at him as he sprawled in the cart. Cool, calm, and confident, like he hadn’t just been telling a story about fisting. 

Had he seen Jester do it? 

The timing didn’t seem like it could be a coincidence, but who knew? He seemed to be focused on Caleb rather than on the other tiefling, thoroughly enjoying his fluster, but she was in his line of sight. 

So, because he could, Caleb set up a few more experiments. 

Moments around the campfire while they were on the road, around the table at dinner if they stopped at an inn. Any time Jester and Molly weren’t half in each others’ laps gave him an opportunity to try. And... well, he did have another avenue to pursue. 

It didn’t seem to need to be the other tiefling. Or the cat. If Caleb poked his tongue out just a little bit both tieflings would return the gesture almost immediately. It was... well, it was fucking adorable, and also funny as fuck, and either Beau was onto his shit or he’d accidentally conditioned the monk because he noticed she’d started doing it too. Just casually poking her tongue out at either tiefling and seeing if they’d respond. 

In her case Molly at least seemed to notice more, and assume she was actually sticking her tongue out at him. He still usually responded in kind, but deliberately, sticking his tongue out to its full extension rather than just the tip Caleb had noticed. 

For a while Caleb worried that Molly would notice he’d been doing it too, or that he’d started it. But either Molly hadn’t noticed, or he hadn’t put it together with Beau’s. 

Or he just didn’t care, Caleb not being the monk and all. 

**

There were days when Caleb was pretty sure they were onto him. When he’d catch Jester eying him while she played with Frumpkin. When Molly would blep back, pause with his tongue out, and then resume talking. 

Obviously he tried blepping Fjord. 

Obviously. 

Not because he thought tieflings and half orcs were the same; he knew that the nonhuman races had many distinct, specific traits that would vary wildly between individuals. It was more of a control group. Fjord was absolutely down for fuckery if it was on the table, but he was less of a dramatic fuck than either Molly or Jester. 

He was their “normal” control. 

Nott, the distinct other end of the spectrum, would blep back intentionally to play, but always seemed to notice. 

Fjord occasionally stuck his tongue out while he was thinking, which was frankly fucking adorable so Caleb wasn’t going to say anything just in case the half orc stopped. It didn’t happen often, just if he was particularly engaged with a problem or trying to do something delicate with his hands. Mostly they saw it over dinner. 

He also didn’t respond to Caleb’s or Frumpkin’s little bleps with anything at all if he knew he was being watched. Just once Caleb caught him sticking his tongue out at the cat in return through Frumpkin’s eyes, and he had to pass the snort of laughter off as a coughing fit. 

It was decidedly not a blep. 

Also Fjord’s tongue was surprisingly long when he stuck it all out like that, which was... distracting. 

But most importantly, the little subliminal bleps really did seem to be a tiefling thing. Like their little rumbling purrs, the way Molly’s tail tended to follow his sketching hands when he told a story, or Jester sucking her tail tip. It was very cute. 

And absolutely could all be a put on by the pair of them to fuck with him or anyone else. 

That particular impression was only strengthened as they began the long treck towards the Labenda swamp for the Gentleman. It was a calm enough day, nothing but the cart and the road around. 

Exactly the kind of day one could expect a rowdy group like the Mighty Nein to make their own fun, really. But the day’s journey came and went with minimal disturbances, to the point where Molly admitted that he almost missed their bandits. Whether he meant for conversation or target practice was hotly debated. 

Molly didn’t specify. 

But nightfall found the Nein sat around a campfire, chatting mostly peacefully as they ate an evening meal. Nothing fancy, nothing that involved cooking beyond “heat over a fire”. Frumpkin was draped around Yasha’s neck, purring a low rumbling background to their talk. 

Molly was telling some circus story, Caleb had lost track of what, and the barbarian was chipping in occasionally, a fond smile on her lips as she stroked the cat. Caleb’s attention was mostly on his bowl, smiling into the food as he picked at it. He wasn’t even trying to listen, just letting the noise wash over him. 

Letting himself enjoy the company, the sound of family as Beau picked at Molly’s story at every opportunity. The blood hunter took it well and both seemed to be having fun. 

Something in the story must have been about alcohol, because Beau launched into another about reselling her own family’s wine on the black market. Jester and Molly were sat side by side, tails twining almost unconsciously, and for a moment Caleb wondered about having Frumpkin do them another blep. 

Yasha was pretty much right across from them, beside Caleb himself, and with a slight smile on his face Caleb let his vision fade into the cat’s. 

Saw Jester’s gaze flick to his face. 

Her tail squeeze Molly’s. 

And in perfect unison the two turned to face Frumpkin, tongues poking out in a little blep. 

**Author's Note:**

> HK: Keep yourselves safe out there everyone. It’s scary times like these that it’s most important to remember we’re all a community, and we need to take care of each other.


End file.
